THE BOY WITH PLASTIC HEARTS

I saw a little boy with his hands overflowing
Then he jumped in a boat and started rowing
When he got to the middle of the very small lake
I saw him stand up and the boat began to
shake I wondered if he was fishing or just being
brave Maybe he was on an adventure to an
invisible cave Such a beautiful painting suddenly came to
mind And an old fable that was once one of a
kind. I watched in awe as he stood so still
Remembered those times when I was
young If it rained I would have stuck out my
tongue Now I just stand there waiting for the sun

All of a sudden he shouted loudly to God
I thought to myself how this was very odd
Then I remembered those times way back
when When I told God in my diary what was
happening I felt unloved and lonely at such an early age!
When my mother died, my love turned to
rage Like the little boy I would have taken that
boat Went further and further and forgotten
my coat I stayed very still so that I would not
disturb him He threw stuff in the air and it flew all
around him His yell echoed when he said “I hate you”
“I want to die but I can’t escape you!”

Suddenly out of nowhere I welled up with
tears. Remembering the pain from all those years
I wanted to be out on that boat and hug
him Jump in the boat like a child and make it
spin I wondered what he had thrown up in the
air I couldn’t see while I was standing there

So I walked silently to the edge of the
water Thought of how he was a son and I was a
daughter He didn’t hear me and continued his speech
I wanted to comfort him but he was out of
reach So I knelt down at the water and collected
the parts He had screamed at God and had thrown plastic hearts!

By GINA NEMO for perspective poetry, a poet, writer, producer and musician. Born in New York and raised in Los Angeles, she has been writing poetry and stories since she was a child. After her award winning role in the hit television show “21 Jump Street” many years ago, she has been producing and writing music (new album out this summer), producing and directing television and also writing for various media outlets.